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and another; nor could poffibly have escaped, had not De Ruyter and De Witt arrived at that inftant and rescued him.

However the Dutch may endeavour to extenuate their lofs in this battle, by admitting no more than eight ships to have been taken or destroyed, it is evident that they must have received much greater damages, not only by the accounts of more impartial hiftorians, but by the remonftrances and exclamations of their admirals themselves; Van Trump declaring before the States, that " without a numerous reinforce"ment of large men of war he could ferve them no "more ;" and De Witt crying. out before them, with the natural warmth of his character, "Why should I "be filent before my lords and mafters? The English are our masters, and by confequence mafters of the "fea."

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In November, 1654, Blake was fent by Cromwell inte the Mediterranean with a powerful fleet, and may be faid to have received the homage of all that part of the world; being equally courted by the haughty Spaniards, the furly Dutch, and the lawless Algerines.

In Mach, 1656, having forced Algiers to fubmiffion, he entered the harbour of Tunis, and demanded reparation for the robberies practifed upon the English by the pirates of that place, and infifted that the captives of his nation fhould be fet at liberty. The governor having planted batteries along the shore, and drawn up his fhips under the caftles, fent Blake an haughty and infolent answer," There are our caftles of Golletta and "Porto Ferino," faid he, "upon which you may do "your worft;" adding other menaces and infults, and mentioning in terms of ridicule the inequality of a

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fight between fhips and caftles. Blake had likewife demanded leave to take in water, which was refused him. Fired with this inhuman and infolent treatment, he curled his whiskers, as was his cuftom when he was angry, and entering Porto Ferino with his great fhips, discharged his shot so fast upon the batteries and castles, that in two hours the guns were difmounted, and the works forfaken, though he was at first exposed to the fire of fixty cannon. He then ordered his officers to send out their long boats well manned to feize nine of the piratical fhips lying in the road, himself continuing to fire upon the caftle. This was fo bravely executed, that with the lofs of only twenty-five men killed, and forty-eight wounded, all the fhips were fired in the fight of Tunis. Thence failing to Tripoli, he concluded a peace with that nation; then returning to Tunis, he found nothing but fubmiffion. And fuch indeed was his reputation, that he met with no farther oppofition, but collected a kind of tribute from the princes of those countries, his business being to demand reparation for all the injuries offered to the English during the civil wars. He exacted from the duke of Tufcany 60,000 . and, as it is faid, fent home fixteen hips laden with the effects which he had received from feveral states.

The respect with which he obliged all foreigners to treat his countrymen, appears from a story related by bishop Burnet. When he lay before Malaga, in a time of peace with Spain, fome of his failors went afhore, and meeting a proceffion of the hoft, not only refufed to pay any refpect to it, but laughed at thofe that did. The people, being put by one of the priests upon refenting this indignity, fell upon them, and beat them feverely.

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feverely. When they returned to their fhip, they complained of their ill treatment; upon which Blake fent to demand the priest who had procured it. The viceroy answered that, having no authority over the priests, he could not fend him to which Blake replied, "that " he did not enquire into the extent of the viceroy's "authority, but that if the priest were not fent within "three hours, he would burn the town." The viceroy then fent the priest to him, who pleaded the provocation given by the feamen. Blake bravely and rationally anfwered, that, if he had complained to him, he would have punished them feverely, for he would not have his men affront the established religion of any place; but that he was angry that the Spaniards fhould affume that power, for he would have all the world know "that an Englishman was only to be punished by an "Englishman." So having ufed the priest civilly, he fent him back, being fatisfied that he was in his power. This conduct fo much pleafed Cromwell, that he read the letter in council with great fatisfaction, and said, "he hoped to make the name of an Englishman as great as ever that of a Roman had been."

In 1655, the Protector having declared war against Spain, dispatched Blake with twenty-five men of war to infeft their coafts, and intercept their fhipping. In pursuance of thefe orders he cruifed all winter about the Streights, and then lay at the mouth of the harbour of Cales, where he received intelligence that the Spanish plate-feet lay at anchor in the bay of Santa-Cruz in the ifle of Teneriffe. On the 13th of April, 1657, he departed from Cales, and on the 20th arrived at SantaCruz, where he found fixteen Spanish veffels. The bay was defended on the northfide by a caftle well mounted

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with cannon, and in other parts with feven forts with cannon proportioned to the bignefs, all united by a line of communication manned with mufqueteers. The Spanish admiral drew up his fmall fhips under the cannon of the castle, and stationed fix great galleons with their broad-fides to the fea: an advantageous and prudent difpofition, but of little effect against the English commander; who determining to attack them, ordered Stayner to enter the bay with his fquadron; then, pofting fome of his largest fhips to play upon the fortifications, himself attacked the galleons, which, after a gallant resistance, were at length abandoned by the Spaniards, though the leaft of them was bigger than the biggest of Blake's fhips. The forts and fmaller veffels being now fhattered and forfaken, the whole fleet was fet on fire, the galleons by Blake, and the smallest veffels by Stayner, the English veffels being too much shattered in the fight to bring them away. Thus was the whole plate-fleet deftroyed, " and the Spa"niards," according to Rapin's remark, " fuftained a great lofs of fhips, money, men, and merchandize, "while the English gained nothing but glory." As if he that increases the military reputation of a people did not increase their power, and he that weakens his enemy in effect ftrengthens himfelf.

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"The whole action," fays Clarendon, " was fo incre "dible, that all men, who knew the place, wondered "that any fober man, with what courage foever en"dued, would ever have undertaken it, and they could "hardly perfuade themfelves to believe what they had "done while the Spaniards comforted themfelves "with the belief, that they were devils and not men "who had deftroyed them in fuch a manner.

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So much

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fa ftrong refolution of bold and courageous men can "bring to pass, that no refiftance or advantage of "ground can disappoint them; and it can hardly be "imagined how fmall a lofs the English fuftained in "this unparalleled action, not one fhip being left be“hind, and the killed and wounded not exceeding 200 "men; when the flaughter on board the Spanish ships "and on shore was incredible." The general cruifed for fome time afterwards with his victorious fleet at the mouth of Cales, to intercept the Spanish fhipping; but, finding his conftitution broken by the fatigue of the last three years, determined to return home, and died before he came to land.

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His body was embalmed, and, having lain fome time in ftate at Greenwich houfe, was buried in Henry VII's chapel, with all the funeral folemnity due to the remains of a man fo famed for his bravery, and so spotlefs in his integrity; nor is it without regret that I am obliged to relate the treatment his body met a year after the Restoration, when it was taken up by express command, and buried in a pit in St. Margaret's churchyard. Had he been guilty of the murder of Charles I. to infult his body had been a mean revenge; but, as he was innocent, it was, at least, inhumanity, and, perhaps, ingratitude. "Let no man," fays the oriental proverb," pull a dead lion by the beard."

But that regard which was denied his body has been paid to his better remains, his name and his memory. Nor has any writer dared to deny him the praife of intrepidity, honefty, contempt of wealth, and love of his country. "He was the first man," fays Clarendon, that declined the old track, and made it apparent that the fciences might be attained in lefs time than was "imagined.

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